Trunk.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. WHEARY, OF RAOINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARTMANN TRUNKCOMPANY, OF RAOINE, WISCONSIN.

TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. WI-IEARY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Racine, in. the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin,have invented a new and useful Trunk, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to devices of that class known as wardrobetrunks, and has for its principal object to provide a novel constructionof trunk in which clothing may be properly packed and held in shapewhile traveling.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trunk of such naturethat ready access may be had to any article within the trunk withoutunpacking or removing the rest of the contents.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a wardrobe trunkin which the clothes carrier proper may be bodily removed from the trunkif necessary and used in the boudoir as a bureau or chiffonnier.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clothes carrier,that is so mounted as to be readily slid into and out of the trunkproper, while the trunk is on end, and further to provide a trunk with afoldable track-way which may be turned up to permit closing and lockingof the trunk after the clothes carrier has been moved back.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 is a perspective view of awardrobe trunk constructed in accordance with the invention, showing thetrunk open and the clothes carrier and container withdrawn. Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view through the body portion and lid of the trunkin closed position. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in a plane at rightangles to Fig. 2, and illustrating the movable clothes carrier.

, Similar numerals of reference are employed 1 to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The trunk or containing box 10 may be of any preferred construction, andof any size, and is provided with a lid or cover which may be providedwith the usual looks or other fastenings.

As the device is intended to be stood on one end during transportationand when in use, the upper end is provided with a rounded projection 12which will prevent the retention of the trunk with this end as a base,and this upper end is furthermore provided with a handle 13, while theopposite end is left without a handle, or one may be added if desired.

Fitting within the lower end of the trunk is a plate 15, the front edgeof which projects beyond the edge of the trunk or box proper and extendspartly into the lid, and to the forward edge of this plate is pivoted asecond plate or track way 16 which is pulled up to an approximatelyvertical position when the drop to a horizontal position in order toform an extended platform or trackway on which the clothes container orwardrobe proper may be slid into and from the trunk.

In order to maintain the extension trackway 16 in a horizontal position,its forward is connected to the under side of the trackway 16 by aspring or springs 18 which tend to move the flap down to a position at aright angle to the general plane of the trackway, and thus form asupporting foot that will rest on the floor and maintain the uppersurface of the trackway in alinement with the upper surface of the plate15.

When the auxiliary or track extension 16 is moved up to the verticalposition, the flap 17 is turned up to a position in alinement with theextension 16, and is held by means of a catch 19 that preferably is inthe form of a strapof leather or other flexible material having a socketmember to receive a button or stud on the flap. This is simply for thepurpose of flattening the flap, so that its extra height will notprevent closing of the lid.

The clothes container or wardrobe proper is in the form of a rectangularbox or casing 20 having a top 21, end panels 22, and a solid back 23,and extending from the lower portion of the back is a tray 25 having asolid,

trunk is closed, and which may be allowed to end is provided with apivoted flap 17 which slide for the reception of a drawer 42.

bottom, the tray being arranged for the reception of any articles andserving especially to hold the lower portions of any garments which maybe hung on the clothes supports that are arranged above the tray.

To the upper portion of the casing 21 is secured a U-shaped frame 26,the inner ends of the side arms of which are riveted or otherwisepermanently secured to the upper portions of the side panels of thecasing, and these side arms are reinforced by angle bars 27 that areriveted to the side arms and to the back of the casing. The frame isfurther strengthened by the employment of a pair of parallel rods 28that extend from the outer wall of the frame to the angle bars orbrackets 27.

Mounted to slide on the rods 28 are bars 30, preferably formed of woodand provided with small notches 31 which receive the upper portions ofthe rods and serve to prevent accidental displacement. Each of thesebars is provided with a centrally disposed metallic hook 31 on which ishung a supporting hook 32 of a garment supporter 33, the latter being ofany preferred construction, and generally of that type arranged toreceive an upper garment, such as a coat or waist, although trousers andskirt hangers may be employed when desired.

In practice, there are as may garment supporters as may be necessary tofill the space and accommodate the clothing, and after the garments havebeen hung a clamping frame 34 is employed to hold them in position. Thisclamping frame comprises a pair of vertical bars 35 the upper portionsof which are provided with side notches 36 to receive the rods 28 andthe bars are connected by cross strips 37 arranged at suitableintervals. This frame is placed in position against the outermostgarment, and is then forced back and tied in place by tapes or cords 39,the ends of which are secured to the back of the casing 20, so that thegarments will be properly held in place even where the trunk is turnedupside-down or otherwise badly handled.

The casing 22 is reinforced by a transversely disposed plate 41 which,also, formsX a t points above and below the plate 41 are arranged anglebars 43 that are secured to the inner surface of the end walls 22 andform supports for additional drawers 44, all of which are accessiblefrom the front of the casing 20. These drawers may be arranged tocontain clothing or other articles, and the drawers are held in closedposition by one of the walls of the trunk or box, so that they cannotfall out during transit.

The casing as a whole is mounted on two pairs of rollers or casters 46which run on the plate 15 and track section 16, and secured to thebottom of the casing is a pair of flanged guide bars 48 that arearranged to engage with a similar pair of flanged guide bars 49 that arecarried by the track extension 16, these guide bars serving to preventany lateral displacement of the casing during movement of the latterinto and from the trunk proper, although, if desired, the casing as awhole may be drawn out until it is beyond the track extension 16 andrests on the floor of the room where the casing may then be utilized asawardrobe or chiffonnier while the trunk or box proper may be removed orused for containing other articles. In order to facilitate the movementof the casing, one of the end panels 22 is provided with a suitableoperating handle 51.

I claim:

1. In a wardrobe trunk, a box or casing, a lid or cover connectedthereto, a supporting plate secured to one end of the casing, anextension track pivoted to the forward end of the plate, an auxiliarymeans for supporting the outer end of the track in a horizontalposition, and a movable casing or wardrobe support on said plate andtrack and movable into and from the box.

2. In a wardrobe trunk, a containing box, a cover therefor, a wheeledclothes carrier mounted within the box, a pivoted extension track Wayadjustable to horizontal position and forming a support for the carrieras the latter is withdrawn from the box, said trackway being foldablewithin the box to permit the cover of the latter to close, andinterengaging guides between the clothes carrier and track-way toprevent lateral displacement of said carrier.

3. In a wardrobe trunk, a containing box, a lid or cover therefor, awheeled casing mounted within the box, a pivoted extension track wayadjustable to horizontal position and forming a support for the casingas the latter is withdrawn from the box, an auxiliary flap carried bythe extension and serving to support the latter in horizontal position,and interengaging guides between the casing and the track way to preventlateral displacement of said casing.

4. In a wardrobe trunk, a containing box, a lid or cover therefor, anextension trackway pivoted. and movable from an approximately verticalto approximately horizontal position, a pivoted flap on said trackextension, springs tending to move the flap to supporting position, acasing movable into and from the containing box, and supported by theextension track during such movement, and means on the casing forholding the flap in alinement with the track extension when the latteris folded to vertical position.

5. In a wardrobe trunk, a containing box, a lid or cover therefor, anextension trackway pivoted to one end of the box, a casing mountedwithin the box and provided with flanged guides, a pair of flanged barson the track extension coacting with said flanged guides to preventshifting of the casing, and supporting rollers for said casing.

6. In a Wardrobe trunk, a containing box, a cover therefor, a platesecured to the lower end of the box and extending beyond the edgethereof, an extension track pivoted to the end of the plate, a casinghaving rollers arranged to move on the plate and track, interfittingflanged bars carried by the extension track, and bottom of the casing, aseries of drawers arranged Within said casing, a U- shaped frame securedto and projecting from the back of the casing, angle bars formingsupports for the frame, a pair of parallel rods extending from the frameto the angle bars, garment supporters hung on the'rods, a garmentclamping frame, flexible connecting means extending from the back of theframe and holding the garment clamped in position, and a tray extendingfrom the lower rear portion of such frame below the garment supporter,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEO. H. WVHEARY.

Witnesses:

MAX BLOOH, CLINT. D. FRAZELL.

